The migrants are said to have told border police that Turkish agents had driven them to the Evros and then transferred them to the Greek side by boats. There they were left without clothes and other possessions. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis posted on Twitter a photo of the naked men emerging from the undergrowth, calling it “a disgrace to civilization”.
Greece regularly accuses Turkey of forcing migrants to cross the border. Turkey, in turn, accuses Greece of ‘pushing’ migrants back to Turkey. These so-called push-backs, which also take place at sea, are prohibited under European law, because they do not give people a chance to apply for asylum.
The land border between Greece and Turkey is about 220 kilometers long and runs almost entirely along the Evros. There is a border fence on the Greek side along 40 kilometers. The government in Athens intends to extend this along the entire border.
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